Brilliant half-term fun at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

We had the most wonderful family day out at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo yesterday. Not only was it Hullabazoo’s 5th anniversary, POD got to meet her PJ Masks hero and join in with activities which are part of the #BooAtTheZoo Halloween event. We even saw a tiger take meat from someone while standing on its hind legs which was just remarkable.

First up was the special birthday for Hullabazoo which, if you’ve not visited Whipsnade before, is made up of Hullabazoo Farm, Hullabazoo Adventure Play and Hullabazoo Indoor Play. We always enjoy visiting the farm as six year old POD likes to see farmyard animals like goats, pigs and miniature donkeys as well as those around the zoo. We’ve been to the outdoor adventure play area on occasions but because there’s so much to see and do at Whipsnade, we’ve never made it to Hullabazoo Indoor Play. Designed around different habitats, it’s quite possibly the cleanest soft play area I’ve ever come across – of course POD loved it. Thankfully we had the promise of meeting her favourite PJ Masks character to lure her away otherwise she might have stayed for hours!

For this weekend only (21st and 22nd October), children can to meet and have a photo taken with their PJ Masks hero – Owlette, Catboy or Gekko. PJ Masks is one of POD’s favourite TV programmes so she was desperate to meet Owlette. With our time slot booked, she got to embark on a PJ Masks trail which involved looking for villans from the series. We managed to miss getting her a certificate at the end but she was so excited about meeting Owlette, she didn’t seem to mind. Quite frankly I’m amazed POD didn’t knock Owlette over she launched herself at her so fast.

Next up was #BooAtTheZoo which is monstrously good fun and taking place at Whipsnade Zoo from the 21st to the 31st October. You can take the “Eerie Express” and help endangered animals, who are being stolen by mischievous ghosts, and save them from extinction. Plus there’s face painting at Hullabazoo with lots of activities on offer in the huge #BooAtTheZoo marquee. Like creepy crafts including scary masks or petrifying pumpkins. There’s also a nine-hole Ghastly Golf course where you can try out your spooky swings too. We had the wind from storm Brian to contend with so missed out on the golf but it’s available throughout half-term.

Instead we took our mini explorer into the the Museum of Fantastic Creatures which includes the Land of Ice And Snow and Creepies from the Jungle. POD thoroughly enjoyed fishing for sea creatures with a rod and trying to guess what kind of animal was in each of the Land of Ice and Snow boxes. The bug talk in Creepies of the Jungle was great although she wasn’t brave enough to hold any critters! Dressing up afterwards wasn’t a problem though, POD was of course more than happy to don a giant rabbit head and pop on some spider wings!

From little creatures to big cats and the tiger enclosure which was next on our list. Little did we know how much of a treat we were in for. There was a VIP experience taking place (I must do this!!!) so we got to listen to the ZSL keepers talking about tigers while one wandered around. It was quite astonishing to see it stand on its hind legs, its paws on the bars high above our heads, as it was fed meat. Quite a sight and certainly one of the highlights of our visit. POD and I were at Whipsnade last month (we do love it there!) so it was great to be back as a family. While it was very windy, we were really lucky with the weather and had sunshine for much of our day. The lions were in full view again and the meerkats seemed happy to see us as did the giraffes. There are over 3,000 animals to see at Whipsnade Zoo so we worked our way round seeing as many as we could before heading home. If you’re on half-term and visiting before the 31st October, do check out the #BooAtTheZoo activities while you’re enjoying the rest of the zoo.

Disclaimer: We received tickets to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo for the purpose of this review. For more information about their Boo At The Zoo Halloween activities taking place up to the 31st October, do check out their website.